Jones claims that during his time with Google, the company used a system where UK sales staff secured advertising deals in London. This would effectively mean that deals were booked in London instead of Dublin, contrary to previous company statements on the matter. Google says that it makes all its sales in Ireland, allowing it to take advantage of the country's lower corporation tax rate.

"It uses a concocted scheme to avoid tax," Jones said in an interview with the newspaper.

"It's a smokescreen to distort where the substance of its economic activity is really taking place."

The news comes days after the company's UK boss Matt Brittin defended its tax activities in a meeting with the Public Accounts Committee.

Jones also claims to be in possession of some 100,000 emails that expose Google's alleged tactics, which he described as "[pulling] the wool over the eyes of HMRC and the British population".

Peter Barron, Google's director of external relations, has since released a statement saying: "As we said in front of the Public Accounts Committee, it is difficult to respond fully to documents we have not seen.

"These questions relate to Google's business in the UK going back a decade of more.

"None of the allegations put to us change the fact that Google pays the corporate tax due on its UK activities and complies fully with UK law."